Heart disease
is a common disease now a days which leads to death worldwide. On other hand Depression
is the leading cause of disability worldwide.
A
significant body of research has established a connection between these two
conditions.
For
example, reviews of existing studies have shown that people with cardiovascular
disease are more likely to have depression, and people with depression have a
higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Also, those with depression
and heart disease are more likely to die from the latter than those who only
have heart disease. This relationship is proportional to each other which means
that the more severe the depression, the more likely it is that a person will
develop heart disease or die from it.
The study revealed
that three bio-markers for the risk of heart disease that were also depression
risk factors: triglycerides and the inflammation-related proteins IL-6 and CRP.
The
scientists explain that our bodies produce the inflammation proteins IL-6 and
CRP in response to physiological factors such as infections and lifestyle
factors such as smoking, drinking, and physical inactivity, as well as in
response to psychological stress.
In the study,
first researchers were interested to study whether the family history of
coronary heart disease increases the risk for depression. Later on they wanted
to study regarding the gene involvement in this case. They found no connection
between the genetic predisposition to develop heart disease and the risk of
depression. This concluded that the genetic predisposition is not related with the
link between depression and heart disease.
To find out
whether the environmental factors are making the difference for the development
of both the disease conditions, they used statistical tools Mendelian
Randomization to examine the 15 biological markers. This study revealed the association
of 3 bio-markers which increases the risk for heart disease were also the depression factors i.e.
triglycerides, IL-6 (inflammation related protein) and CRP.
Heart
disease and depression share common underlying biological mechanisms, which
manifest as two different conditions in two different organs — the
cardiovascular system and the brain."
